JUNE 2015
QUICK FACT
North Texas Giving Day is scheduled for Thursday, September 17th. On this day, donations to Mission Central of at least $25 made through www.northtexasgivingday.org will be eligible to earn bonus and prize money. Click here to watch a short video about how North Texas Giving Day works.
CALENDAR
July 4
The Coat of Many Colors will be closed for the Independence Day holiday.

July 6
Mission Central's Administrative Offices will be closed for the Independence Day holiday.

July 10
Mobile Food Pantry
 
September 17
North Texas Giving Day
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Monte Ramey
Vice President: Vicky Otterman
Secretary: Donna Barnes
Treasurer: Henry Joyner
Past President: Dorothy Leaderer

Members-at-Large

Lee Baldwin
Stan Cramb
Mike Gandy
Clint Jones
Kevin Henson
David Nash
Bob Nethers
Michael Ramey
Jay Thompson


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Nine families find work through Family Opportunities Program/Connect2Help
Since March,18 families have been accepted into Mission Central's Family Opportunities Program. The Family Opportunities Program works with families who are homeless or facing eviction to help them on their journey back to self-sufficiency.

We are proud to announce that eight of those families now have at least one adult who has found employment, and are close to self-sufficiency. Additionally, we are celebrating the recent employment of one of our guests who found resources through Connect2Help. The picture above represents all of the adults and children who will be positively affected by these changes.

Mission Central recently held a resume-writing workshop to help those seeking employment, and Family Opportunities Program participants have received one-on-one coaching on preparing for interviews. Our Connect2Help area has also been available for Mission Central's guests to search for and apply for jobs. This space includes bulletin boards with job listings and computers that can used by those who are seeking employment.

By giving families the tools they need to find employment, we are empowering our neighbors in need to improve their own quality of life. If you're interested in supporting these efforts, please consider making a donation or volunteering.
Mayor's Hunger Challenge
Did you know that 12,971 of the students and families in the HEB ISD and 6% of our senior adults do not know where their next meal is coming from? While there are food needs year-round, the need for food assistance increases in the summer months. However, the summer has historically been the lowest time of year for donations to our food pantries.

HEB ISD Superintendent Steve Chapman has challenged the mayors of Hurst, Euless and Bedford to encourage the residents of their cities to be generous in donating to local food pantries this summer - with a "Golden Can" trophy going to the mayor whose city donates the most food. Visit our website to see videos of the mayors challenging each other.

To participate, simply drop off shelf-stable food items at one of the locations listed on our website. The most-needed items are peanut butter, canned chicken, spaghetti sauce, spaghetti, and canned fruit. The donated items will be shared between the 6 Stones and Mission Central food pantries.
Sometimes, one truck is better than two!
Each week, Mission Central's volunteers pick up more than 3,000 pounds of donated food from local grocery stores, as well as 1,000+ pounds of food from the Tarrant Area Food Bank. These dedicated volunteers use their personal trucks and load and unload each box by hand. 

As you can see from the picture to the left, that's a lot of work! Many donations come in pre-packaged pallets that are easy for box trucks to lift and carry. But, these pallets are a challenge for our volunteers who are using their personal trucks. They must break down the pallet and move the boxes around until they are able to fit the items in their vehicle. Because of the shapes, one pallet might take two vehicles to carry back to Mission Central. That's not only difficult for our volunteers to navigate, but often it also means that we can't pick up items that might otherwise be free to Mission Central.  For example, on the day this picture was taken, there was an abundant amount of produce available at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, that volunteers could have brought back to Mission Central at no charge.  However, it had to be left there because there was not enough truck space after splitting and rearranging this pallet. 

This is why Mission Central is working to obtain a box truck. We have reached out to several possible grant-makers and donors to ask for help in purchasing a new 16' - 24' box truck. But you can help, too! If you know of a person, agency, or corporation who would be interested in helping us provide more, healthy food to families in Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, please let us know! You may contact Paula Jernigan at 817-595-0011 or missioncentralmetroplex@hotmail.com for more information.
740E. Pipeline Road
Hurst, TX 76053
817-595-0011